Improvement in grain-driers



r 2 She'ts-Sheet 1; G. CLARK. r

Grain Drien. No; 42,348. I Patented April 1l9, 1864.

. i a Witnesses: v Inventor: Wail M ETERS. Pmo-Limo m hw. Walhingmn. D t;

. 2 Sh t GI CLARK. M ee v-Sheet 2 Grain Drier.

Invewtor: W M

Patented April 19', 1864.

IIIIIIIIIIIII' N. PETERS. Phalwulhc n hur. Wnshjngwn. D. c,

Na $5 M N Witnesses: Q/Z/L %W NITED GEORGE CLARK, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-DRIERS.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that LGEORGE CLARK, of

the city of Buffalo, county of Erie, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and Improved Tubular Grain-Drying Kiln;

- and I' do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construetion and operation thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure I is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved drier. Fig. II is a vertical transverse section. Fig. III is a'plan. Fig.

IV is an end elevation of the hot-air and exhaust tubes on an increased scale, showing their relative position and arrangement; and Fig. V is a side view and transverse section of a single tube.

Letters of like name and kind referto like parts in each of the figures.

The nature of this invention consists, first, in causing the heated or wet grain to be dried to pass through a rectangular kiln or bin 0on taining an arrangement of horizontal perforated tubes, by which alternate hot-air-supply passages and evaporationescape passages are formed through the body of the grain, the hotair passages opening through the kiln-wall at one end and being closed. at the other, and

the evaporation-passages opening at one end through the opposite kiln-wall and closed at the other, whereby the hot air which enters the supply-tubes is caused to pass through the thin stratum of grain (lying between the tubes) into the evaporation-passages, and from thence into the atmosphere; second, in the formation of a hot-air chamber divided into compartments and combined with a hot-air conducting flue leading from the furnaces, the openings of the flue into the different compartments of the hot-air chamber being provided with registers by which the amount of hot air entering the different compartments may be regulated in a manner to distribute the air equally to the compartments, and con scquently to the tubular passages through the grain; third, in the construction of a triangular or \l-shaped tube with an open bottom, with or Without perforations, so that the dirt or grain or other matter will not lodge, clog, or fill the tube to form a combustible material, which material, if allowed to collect, would be liable to take fire from or be scorched by the heat, and thus taint or render the grain unfit for use; fourth, in so arranging the hotair-supply and evaporation-escape tubes or passages that the grain in its downward movement through the kiln will pass over an evaporation-tube after passing over a hot-air tube, so that it is impossible for the same grain to pass over two hot-air tubes in succession; fifth, in giving a downward .moy ement to the grain through a kiln filled with hot-air and evaporation tubes so arranged as to effectually cut up and divide the descending body of grain, in combination with regulating-valves at the bottom of the kiln.

' A A represent the walls of the drying kilnor bin. These walls may be either iron or brick, as desired. In this kiln or bin are placed the perforated air-tubes B B, the ends of which rest in the side walls A.

O is a wall built at a short distance from and parallel to the side wall A of the kiln; the space between is divided by the fioorc into two chambers, D and E, the chamber E being subdivided into several compartments by the floors E. Hot air is admitted to the chamber E for drying, and cold air to the chamber D for cooling, so that that portion of the kiln which is above the line l 2 or division floor 0 forms the drying-kiln, and that portion below said line and floor forms the cooling-kiln.

In the drying kiln, B represents hot-air-supply tubes, and B evaporationexhaust tubes. To distinguish them, the hot'air tubes B are drawn in black ink, and the evaporation-tubes B in blue ink. The rows of hot-air tubes are parallel with the rows ofevaporation-tubes; but both rows run diagonally lo a horizontal plane. This diagonal arrangement of the tubes causes each vertical row of tubes to be composed of alternate hot-air and evaporation tubes-that is, it causes an evaporation-tube to come directly over each hot -air tube, so that in the downward movement of the grain through the kiln such grain as lies in contact with a hot-air tube will pass over an evaporation-tube before coming in contact with a second hot-air tube, so that the heat received from the hot-air tube and the evaporation caused by it will be carried off by the evaporation-tube. In each horizontal row of tubes the apex of each tube comes in line with the space in the row of tubes directly above, so

. ternately during its descent.

chamber G by the floors G that the descending body of grain is continually divided and cut up in a manner to bring all the grain passing through thekiln in actual contact with hot-air and evaporation tubes al- The V-shaped form of the tubes is seen on an increased scale in Fig. IV, also the manner in which the grain lies upon and around the tubes, also the formation of a bottom to the tube by the grain itself, as shown. The hot-airsupply tubes all open at one end throughthe kiln-wall. Ainto the hotair chamber E but'at their opposite end they are closed or butt up against the 'kilirwall, so that hot air from the chamber E is free to enter them, but can only escape by passing out through their perforations or open bottom into the surrounding body of grain.

- G is an evaporation-chamber on the opposite side ofthe kiln to the hot-air'chamber, into which chamber all of the evaporation-tubes B open, said. tubes being closed at their opposite ends, similar to the hot-air tubes. These tubes receive and conduct in the chamberG all of the heat, moisture, and evaporation caused by the passage into the grain of the hot air from the hot-air tubes, as before described.

F F represent the furnaces in which the hot airis generated. v H represents a hot-air-conductin g flue which conveys the hot air generated in the furnaces "to the different compartments of the hot-air chamber.

I represents pressure fan-blowers situated above the furnaces, and used for forcing air into and through the furnaces, and thence through the flueH and hot-air chamber into the hot-air tubes, and through the grain into the evaporation-tubes. The air from the blowersis not allowed to come in direct contact withthe fires, but passes through a flue over the fires, formed by the iron plate J, and is heated by the contact with said plate. The object in not allowing the fans. to blow direct 1y into or over the fires is to prevent the re-' action of the air in the flue H andchamber E, which, upon opening the furnaee-doorswhen feeding the fires, would permit the air to rush out of the doors and carry coals and smoke into the furnace-room. At the same time it is necessary to provide a means of regulating the fires and supplying them with the proper quantity of air for combustion. This is accomplished as follows: A portion of the flue H is cut off by the partition H, extending up to the first compartment of the hot-air chamber E, forming a secondflue, H communicating directly from the fire to said first compartment, so that all the air which passes up through the fires is conducted to this first compartment and through the hot-air tubes opening therein into the grain,'and thence taken by the evaporation tubes into the chamber G cut off from the main evaporation In this chamber G islocated. a suction-fan, K, by which the air is exhausted therefrom and a partial vacuum formed, to supply which vacuum the air must take the course above described. By thismeans the amount of combustion in the fires and the amount of air passing through them maybe easily regulated without danger of the reaction before mentioned.

It may be found advisable to dispense entirely with the pressure fan-blowersI and use instead exhaust;t 'anslocated in the evapo- I ration-chamber and exhausting through all instead of one of the sections. The openings of the flue H into the hot-air chambers E are provided with registers L, by which the size of said openings may be regulated, so as to supply an equal amount of hot air to each compartment or section of' hot-air tubes. It may also be found advisable to increase the width ot the hotair chambers until it shall equal, or nearly so, their height, for

the purpose of making the distance of hot-air tubes from the opening of the fl'le into the chamber as nearly equal as may be, and thus lessen the liability of the tubes nearest the center to receive more than their proportion of the hot air entering the chamber. i

In the cooler the arrangement of the tubes is precisely the same as described for the drier, except that the hot-air-supply tubes become cold-air-supply tubes. The cold air is forced into the cold-air chamber D, and thence into the cold-air tubes and through the grain into the evaporation tubes, and into the chamber G", from which it is taken by the flue G by the fan-blower M. A suction-fan may be used instead of this fan-blower, if desired, the same as described for the drier. i

To regulate the passage of the grain through thekiln, a floor is formed at the bottom'of the cooler by the timbers N, the upper edges of which are beveled so as to leave hopper-spaces between, which spaces are closed by sliding valves N. A reciprocating motion is given to these valves by the proper machinery, so that they are made to open and shut at regular intervals, the distance which they open and the time of their remaining open being variable, so that the velocity with which the grain moves through the kiln may be regulated in a manner to insure its being-properly and sufficiently dried and cooled. By' this construction of the floor and valves an even and uniform movement of the grain through the kiln is effected. As the grain falls through the opening in the floor, it strikes upon the inclined plane 0, which carries it to the foot of the elevating-leg P, by which it is elevated to the proper height to spout back into the store-bin or such other receiver as may be desired. Where large drying capacity is required, the cooler of greater capacity may be placed at one side of thedrier, in which it will be necessary to interpose an elevatingleg between themjby which the grain, after passing through the drier, may be re-elevated and passed through the cooler. This drier is intended to be used in connection with large storage and transfer grain-elevators, from which it receives the grain to be dried. The

supply-spout represented at Q is supposed to lead from such an elevator, and discharges the grain to be dried into the kiln, and the elevating-leg P re-elevates the grain after it has passed through the kiln, and spouts it back into said elevator or into store bins or other receivers.

R represents a 1ine-shaft, which receives its motion by the belt R from an engine or other motive power located without the building, and gives motion to the fans and elevatingbuckets. V

S represents the pulleys on the line-shaft R, by which motion is given to the pressurefans I and M through the belts S and through the belt S to the suction-fan K.

T represents the elevator driving pulley, and T the elevator driving'belt, by which motion is given to the elevating-buckets in the log P.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1 The formation of hotair-supp] y and evaporation-escape passages through a body of grain by means of the horizontal perforated tubes B and B, the hot-air tubes opening at one end through the kiln-wall into a hot air chamber, E, and closed at the other end, and

4. In so arranging the alternate rows of hotair-supply and evaporationescape tubes or passages that the grain in its downward movement through the kiln will pass alternately OXOI hot-air and evaporation tubes, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the hotnir supplying and exhausting tubes B B, constructed and operating as described, with the regulatingvalves N, substantially as set forth.

GEORGE CLARK.

Witnesses:

Guns. B. TRIMBLE, Inn WESCOTT. 

